MUNICIPAL  RESEARCH 

To  promote  the  application  of  scientific  principles  to  government 
Issued  weekly  by  the  ^ 

ft!?'          BUREAU  OF  MUNICIPAL  RESEARCH 

261  Broadway,  New  York 


HELP-YOUR-OWN -SCHOOL 
SUGGESTIONS 


EXTRACTS  FROM  A  FIELD  STUDY 
OF  P.  S.  188B  MANHATTAN 
MADE  AT  THE  REQUEST  OF 
PRINCIPAL  EDWARD  MANDEL 


BY  THE 

BUREAU  OP  MUNlGlf  AL   RESEARCH 

261  Broadway,  New  York 

Price  15   Cents 


February  21,  1914 


Entered  as  Second  Class  Matter  July  30,  1913  at  the  Post  Office,  at  New   York,  N.   K, 
under  the  Act  of  Congress,  August  24,  1912 


Organization 


25OO    boys 


Supervision     by  'Grades 

[principal  i  1  Assistant  I         I  Assistant  I 


67654321 


Supervision    by    Subjects 


Assistant 

I 


History 
Arithmetic 
Nature  Study 
Manual  Tr. 


Nationality  :bi  'Ptipil$vParents 


Ik  rf  fathom  Ktnotbew 


1500 


For  Contents— Index  see  page  8,  cover 


FOREWORD 

To  help  answer  questions  regarding  practical  everyday  tests 
which  will  discover  definite  points  where  changes  are  de- 
sirable and  where  individual  children  can  be  helped,  we  are 
publishing  typical  extracts  from  a  report  made  at  the  request 
of  Principal  Edward  Mandel  upon  the  administration  and 
activities  of  his  school  for  2,500  boys,  P.  S.  188B,  Manhattan. 

Twelve  days  from  November  18  to  December  13,  1912,  were 
spent  by  our  Mr.  Farmer  aided  by  12  students  in  the  study  of 
this  school.  Each  of  the*"59  rooms  was  visited  at  least  twice. 
Forty-five  hours  were  spent  in  actual  inspection  of  class  room 
work,  methods  of  discipline  and  inspection ;  over  40  hours  were 
spent  in  questioning  the  principal  and  teachers ;  75  homes  were 
visited;  25  boys  were  questioned  in  detail;  773  special  lan- 
guage papers  written  by  7th  and  8th  grades  were  studied; 
stenographic  reports  of  18  recitations  on  all  subjects  were 
analyzed ;  test  arithmetic  questions  were  given  to  1,480  pupils 
in  grades  5A-8B.  A  two-day  field  study  of  the  extra  curri- 
culum activities  of  teachers  was  based  on  interviews  with 
8  teachers  and  the  principal. 

To  show  needs  and  simple,  definite  opportunities  to  help 
is  the  purpose  of  the  following  extracts  and  was  the  purpose 
of  the  survey. 


TRAINING   SCHOOL   FOR  PUBLIC   SERVICE 

CONDUCTED  BY 

BUREAU  OF  MUNICIPAL  RESEARCH 


TRUSTEES 

R.  FULTON  CUTTING  JOHN    B.    PINE 

JOSEPH   W.  HARRIMAN  EDWIN    R.   A.    SELIGMAN 

GEORGE  B.  HOPKINS  ALBERT  SHAW 

15RADLEY    MARTIN  FRANK  TUCKER 

VICTOR   MORAWETZ  GEORGE   W.    WICKERSHAM 

DIRECTORS 

WILLIAM   H.   ALLEN      305908  F'  A<   CLEVELAND 

1 


'•:{";-HOW/P;/§;j88B  USED  THE  REPORT 

Jffandel  for  General  Education  Board 


In  the  summer  of  1912  the  Bureau  issued  a  pamphlet  in- 
viting teachers  and  principals  to  take  a  course  under  its  direc- 
tion. Pursuant  to  that  pamphlet,  I  called  at  the  Bureau  and 
saw  Dr.  Brittain.  I  submitted  to  Dr.  Brittain  a  mass  of  state- 
ments of  facts,  which  I  had  accumulated,  concerning  the 
workings  of  this  school.  While  I  had  a  fair  knowledge  of  the 
direction  in  which  these  facts  pointed  and  of  their  significance, 
I  was  not  certain  of  my  ground  nor  did  I  have  any  grasp  of 
their  full  scope.  Dr.  Brittain  and  I  went  over  the  points  as 
I  saw  them  and  the  points  which  puzzled  me,  and  as  a  result 
thereof,  we  devised  a  series  of  forms  to  subject  these  figures 
to  analysis  and  I  spent  the  entire  summer  in  analyzing  these 
figures  along  these  lines.  As  a  result  of  the  analysis,  al- 
though we  had  previously  carefully  rated  the  pupils,  we  dis- 
covered that  over  100,  according  to  the  scheme  of  promotion 
and  classification  which  I  had  instituted  in  this  school,  had 
been  placed  in  wrong  classes,  mistakes  which,  without  the 
form  of  analysis  devised  by  Dr.  Brittain,  it  would  have  been 
impossible  to  discover  with  the  means  previously  at  my  dis- 
posal. This  form  of  testing  promotions  has  been  in  use  in 
this  school  ever  since,  and  we  have  devised  and  enlarged  an 
improved  form  which  gives  upon  one  sheet  a  complete  his- 
tory of  the  class  and  of  each  pupil  therein,  and  has  served  as 
a  most  excellent  check  upon  ourselves.  I  enclose  a  copy  of 
said  sheet.  It  also  led  to  a  complete  remodeling  of  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  records  are  kept  in  this  school,  so  that  to-day 
we  are  in  a  position  to  get  at  our  facts  with  what  I  believe 
to  be  a  minimum  loss  of  time.  If  nothing  more  than  this  had 
been  accomplished,  the  work  done  by  me  in  conjunction  with 
Dr.  Brittain  would  have  more  than  repaid  the  time  spent. 

However,  it  was  evident  that  reliance  upon  mere  figures 
without  going  back  of  the  figures  and  examining  the  actual 
condition  of  the  school,  was  valueless,  and  therefore  I  re- 
quested Dr.  Allen  to  let  me  have  the  assistance  of  a  number 
of  his  experts  to  examine  the  school  and  ascertain  its  real 
condition  by  going  into  the  class  rooms  and  getting  at  the 
teachers  and  pupils.  The  teachers  and  I  felt  that  such  a  test 
conducted  by  experts  would  be  of  invaluable  assistance  in 
•measuring  actual  conditions.  Dr,  Allen  consented.  The  ex- 
perts were  not  anxious  to  criticise  but  to  get  at  the  facts 
and  to  offer  such  constructive  suggestions  as  they  thought 
would  be  of  assistance  to  the  school.  They  examined  many 
classes,  took  up  different  subjects,  examined  along  lines  of 
their  own  and  along  lines  which  we  suggested,  and  while  it  is 
true  that  in  some  of  the  suggestions  they  made  we  do  not 


concur,  the  fact  is  that  they  pointed  out  a  great  many  things 
which  we  would  never  have  detected  and  as  a  result  we  have 
considerably  improved  our  work  in  arithmetic  and  our  read- 
ing. The  investigation  in  the  school  was  conducted  under 
the  direction  of  Mr.  Farmer.  I  am  indebted  to  him  for  some 
of  the  most  valuable  suggestions  I  have  ever  received  from 
any  one,  both  in  school  management  and  in  the  art  of  teaching. 

It  was  through  the  work  done  in  conjunction  with  Mr. 
Farmer  that  we  devised  a  system  of  detecting  errors  through 
graphic  charts  and  thus  showing  the  importance  of  sepa- 
rately testing  children  in  arithmetic,  in  (a)  ability  to  write 
numbers,  (b)  reading  numbers,  (c)  ability  to  perform  the 
fundamental  operations,  (d)  ability  to  reason,  and  that  tests 
in  each  of  these  lines  must  be  so  conducted  so  as  to  eliminate 
any  chance  of  error  because  of  ignorance  in  one  of  the  other 
lines.  So  also  the  work  of  the  Bureau  experts  showed  that 
the  medical  inspection  in  the  school  was  to  a  large  extent 
inefficient  and  a  follow-up  examination  showed  that  hundreds 
of  children  had  not  been  examined  by  the  physician  in  years 
and  that  in  the  majority  of  cases  the  nurse  had  not  visited 
the  homes  of  the  children  to  ascertain  what,  if  anything,  was 
being  done  by  the  parents  to  follow  the  directions  suggested 
and  laid  down  by  the  school  doctor. 

I  also  enclose  a  plan  sheet  blank  which  we  have  devised 
to  meet  certain  suggestions  made  by  Dr.  Brittain.  If  one  of 
these  plan  sheets  is  used  for  each  subject  (or  for  a  group  of 
related  subjects)  the  principal  may  see  at  a  glance  the  entire 
work  for  the  term  and  whether  it  is  properly  arranged.  I 
also  enclose  two  follow-up  blanks  to  show  how  the  teachers 
keep  track  of  the  needs  of  the  boys.*  All  these  were  devised  to 
meet  criticisms  made  very  justly  by  the  Bureau's  experts,  so 
that  the  work  was  cooperative  and  helpful.  It  assisted  the 
teachers  and  it  certainly  assisted  me  and  I  think  it  would 
be  very  helpful  to  the  entire  school  system  if  more  of  such 
work  were  done  by  the  Bureau.  The  above  is  but  a  general 
outline  of  the  assistance  I  received.  I  should  be  glad,  how- 
ever, to  answer  any  specific  question  which  may  be  put  about 
the  work  performed  here  by  the  Bureau. 

Very  truly  yours, 

(Signed)     EDWARD    MANDEL 

*[For  these  blanks  address  Principal  Mandel,  P.  S.  i88B  Man- 
hattan, New  York  City.'] 


GRADES  DIVIDED  INTO  GROUPS  TO  MEET  NEEDS 
OF  CHILDREN 

Pupils  who  learn  fast       Pupils  who  learn  slowly 


The  short    quick   way 

Those  who  must  leave 


school  to  go  to  work 


The   long  sure  road 

Average   pupils 


Bridge  giving  u/idest  view         |     Beatun  'highway  at  a  steady  walk 


Skippers  because  of  over- 
age or  special  ability 


The.  short  cut 


In  December,  1912,  upper  grades  had  from  4  to  6  groups; 
lower  grades  from  2  to  4  groups 

The  analysis  of  records  of  progress  of  the  2,051  children 
enrolled  December,  1912,  showed  that  as  a  result  of  this 
grouping,  717  pupils  had  gained  on  an  average  2  half  grades 
apiece;  537  pupils  lost  on  an  average  2  half  grades;  797 
pupils  progressed  without  net  loss  or  net  gain 


CATCH-UP  OPPORTUNITIES 

Special  help  is  provided  for  those  who  need  assistance  either 
because  they  are  backward  or  because  they  are  making 
rapid  progress  and  need  help  in  catching  up  with  the  next 
grade 

Special  teachers  during  hours 


Each  helped  40  children  every  day  in  groups  of  3  to  8  for  30  or  40  minutes  each 

Regular  teachers  after  hours 


Helped  23  pupils  daiiy  from  4:30—5:30  in  groups  of  1  to  6 

Pupil  teachers 

II* 

104  older  and  stronger  "Big  Brothers"  helped  578  weaker  brothers  in  groups  of  1  to  30 


STRETCHING  AN  "INELASTIC"  COURSE  OF  STUDY 

The  average  number  of  minutes  actually  given  to  subjects 
in  each  grade  was  found  to  differ  from  the  number  of  min- 
utes prescribed  in  the  official  course  of  study 


Library 

Music 
Opening  Exercises  3! 

Penmanship 
Physical  Training 

Geography    ' 

History 

Drawing 
Study  ikunas".5i£fic< 

Arithmetic 
.      English 


Scale,  of  Minutes 

100  .  200- 300 400 


Time. 
Time 


as  per 


\icdule  = 


inPSi 


WB 


CURRlCULUm  CHAtNGED  TO  IT1EET  THE 
OF  THE   MplGMBORHOOD 


RECITATION  ADJUSTMENTS 

The  wheels  of  the  curriculum  fit  into  one  another  and  turn 
according  to  the  abilities  of  each  pupil.  By  having  classes 
in  the  same  subject  recite  at  different  hours  in  each  group 
and  grade,  the  weak  pupil  may  review  his  work  in  a  lower 
or  slower  group,  and  the  strong  pupil  may  take  advanced 
work  in  a  higher  grade 


Hours  shifted  where  special  drill  is  necessary 


Teacher  Styj  please  to  give  rat  30  muwtts  arithm?*1'  for  this 

7 


TESTING  CLASSROOM  INSTRUCTION 


Stenographic  reports  of  18  recitations  show 
How  much  the  teacher  talks 
How  much  the  pupils  talk 

What  kind  of  questions  and  answers  pass  between  teacher 
and  pupils 


Answers 


4  2  O    one    word 


2O&  one  sentence    | 
96  phrase 


- extended  replies 


Questions 


What 

When 

Where 


These  questions  call  only 
on  pupil's  memory 


These  questions  make 
pupils  think 


Of  828  answers 
60  were  incorrect 
5  were  prompted    by    the    teacher 
13  were  indistinct 

12  contained  grammatical  errors  not   corrected  by  the   teacher 
1  was  incorrect  and  left  uncorrected 


POINTS  NOTED  IN  TYPICAL  RECITATIONS 

Grade  8A,  Julius  Caesar 

Length  of  recitation,  37  minutes;   time  spent  in  changing  from 

one  lesson  to  another,  one  min.;  in  individual  quiz.,   10  min.; 

in  use  of  dictionaries,  3  min.;  in  reading,  23  min. 
Errors  in  method 

a — Text  books  with  pages  numbered  differently  were  used 

b — There  were  sufficient  copies  of  Lamb's  "Tales  from  Shakes- 
peare" for  the  full  class,  but  they  were  not  used 

c — Seeing  that  words  were  being  mispronounced,  the  teacher 
gave  the  boys  3  minutes  with  their  dictionaries.  There 
was  no  appreciable  effect,  as  the  boys  were  unable  to 
use  dictionaries  with  sufficient  ease  to  get  more  than  a 
word  or  two  each 

d — The  teacher  had  to  consult  his  book  frequently  in  order 
to  be  able  to  ask  questions 

e — The  teacher  used  leading  questions  and  "told"  where  he 
he  should  question;  for  example,  T.  "He  finally  did 
promise  to  tell?"  A.  "Yes,  sir."  T.  "Then  the  conspi- 
rators all ."  A.  "Left."  T.  "And  we  find  ourselves 

in    Caesar's   palace" 

f — When    the    teacher   himself    took    part    in   the    reading,    he 

read  lifelessly 

Point  of  excellence:  The  teacher's  manner  was  quiet  and  restful 
Grade  6B,  Group  5,  Geography  of  the  British  Empire 

Length  of  recitation,  19  min.;  time  spent  in  asking  questions  of 

individuals,  6  min.;  of  the  class,  13  min. 
Errors  in  method 

a — Teacher  allowed  inaccurate  statements  to  pass  unnoticed; 
for  example,  the  statement  that  England  ruled  in  Africa, 
"Morroco,  Cape  Colony  and  Egypt" 

b — Teacher  repeatedly  used  leading  question;  for  example, 
T.  "That  (42,000,000  people)  is  almost  half  the  people 
of  the  United  States,  isn't  it?"  A.  "Yes,  sir" 

c — The  teacher  frequently  told  things  to  the  pupil  which 
should  have  been  brought  out  by  questioning;  for  ex- 
ample, "The  British  empire  means  the  government  that 
controls  the  different  kingdoms  ruled  by  England,  see?" 

d — The  teacher  seemed  to  be  unable  to  control  choruses  of 
answers  from  the  class;  for  example,  T.  "I  will  ask  the 
boys  not  to  talk  unless  I  call  their  names  and  not  to 
answer  questions  unless  I  call  their  names.  John,  is  there 
any  other  country  that  brings  in  as  much  goods  as 
England  does?"  A.  "No,  sir;  England  brings  in  the 
most  goods."  T.  "What  shows  it?"  (No  answer  at  all.) 
T.  "How  do  you  know?"  A.  "Has  more  merchant  ves- 
sels." T.  "How  many  merchant  vessels  has  she?"  A. 
"21,000."  T.  "About  21,000  merchant  vessels.  That  is 
more  than  all  the  merchant  vessels  of  the  world  put 
together.  Is  that  right?  A.  (Chorus)  "Yes,  sir" 

e — Teacher  repeatedly  suggested  answers,  or  even  put  answers 
in  the  mouths  of  pupils;  for  example,  T.  "Now,  why 
does  England  need  to  do  so  much  commerce?"  A. 
"To—"  T.  "To  support—"  A.  "To  support—"  T.  "The 
people — "  A.  "The  people —  T.  "Living  in  her  coun- 
try?" A.  "Living  in  her  country" 

Points  of  excellence:     The  teacher  was  lively  and  imparted  a  great 
deal  of  life  to  his  class.     All  seemed  anxious  to  answer 


SPELLING  MISFITS 


ductile 
communicant 


amphibious 

neuralgia 

infrangible 

grottoes 

terrestrial 

schedule 

etymology 


Trying  to  learn  these  words 


While  still  misspelling  these 


In  one  5B  spelling  class  the  words  assigned  were  evade, 
excitement,  evident,  exhausted.  The  words  had  been  taken 
up  in  class,  spelled  and  discussed  as  to  meaning.  At  the 
investigator's  request  the  words  were  used  in  sentences. 
Typical  results  were : 

My    mother    told    me    to    evade    from    the    water 

The  boy  evades  his  mother 

My   mother    evades    me    from    water 

The   boy   evade   because    he    cheit 

My   mother   told   me    to   evade   from    climbing 

When  the  fire  broke  out  the  people  were  excitement 
The    people    were    excitement    when    they    screamed 
A  boy  got  me  excitement  and  I  ran  after  him 
There  was  a  big  excitement  by  the  fire 
When  a  men  goes  from  a  eccident  he  is  ecitener 

I   exhausted  my   mother 

He   exhaest  when   he   came   from  work 

The   robbers   try   to   exhaust  the  police 

I   was   exhaus   yesterday 

I   exhaust  a  hard   days  word  with   taken  a  rest 

He   is   event 

He   was  evidend  when   he  this  noise 

I  had  evident 

This   nomber    is   evadent 

I  have  read  a  evident  book 


10 


INCORRECT   OR   PECULIAR   IDIOM    IN    LANGUAGE 

PAPERS 

"worship  to  God" 

"on  the  next  winter" 

"starved  for  hunger" 

"my   both   parents" 

"a  thank  to  God" 

"all  in  a  sudden" 

"a  such  good  time" 

"In  the  second  winter  they  started"  for  "In  the  beginning  of 

the  second  winter" 

"Please  excuse  I  have  lost  my  outline" 
"That  composition  took  me  to  write  it  twenty  minutes" 
"they  were  by  there  last  barrel  of  flour" 


v 


\ 


Chart  showing  extent  of  mislaKcs  due  to  influence  of  foreign  idiom, 
based  on  number  d  mtotaK.es  of  pupils  reported  by  the  teachers 

Column- total  no.  mistakes  reported   fi^  percent  due  to  foreign  idiom 


56. 


<3a  61? 


The  total  number  of  mistakes  reported  by  each  teacher  were 
compared  with  the  number  reported  as  due  to  foreign  idiom. 
It  was  found  that  many  teachers  showed  no  evidence  of 
being  sufficiently  conscious  of  the  problem.  For  example, 
in  grade  5A,  the  teachers  reported  only  1%  of  mistakes  as 
due  to  foreign  idiom ;  in  grade  7A,  10% ;  6A,  2% ;  8A,  1% 


11 


HOW  READING  WAS  TAUGHT 

10  classes  in  grades  1A-2B  were  visited 

In  blackboard  drills  and  with  word  cards,  the  following  words 
were  among  those  miscalled  by  pupils  in  one  IB  grade : 
fish     was     called     boy  merry     was     called     little 

little  was  called  fishes  brother  was  called  mother 

play     was     called     see  run       was       called       boy 

say     was     called     play  swim      was      called      fish 

fishes   was    called    boy  run      was      called      merry 

The  same  kinds  of  mistake  were  made  in  8  other  primary 
classes  visited.  The  pupils  called  words  in  a  halting,  un- 
certain manner,  failed  to  get  the  thought,  and  seemed  to 
derive  no  pleasure  from  the  stories  read 

15  children  in  7  recitations  were  called  on  to  tell  the  story 
of  the  lesson  in  their  own  words;  13  of  these  repeated  the 
exact  words  of  the  book,  word  for  word 

One  IB  grade  was  doing  exceptional  work.  The  pupils  were 
confident,  eager  and  read  with  evident  pleasure.  They 
found  no  difficulty  in  grouping  the  words  into  phrases  so 
as  to  give  the  thought  with  good  expression  and  apparent 
understanding.  These  pupils  had  been  trained  to  use  me- 
chanically the  elements  of  phonics,  taught  in  all  primary 
classes 

6  primary  teachers  were  asked  about  the  amount  of  reading 
that  could  be  done  by  the  primary  grades.  Two,  3  or  4 
books  were  given  as  the  maximum  possible.  That  20  books 
might  easily  be  covered  in  a  term  was  believed  to  be  im- 
possible by  these  teachers ;  yet  in  St.  Cloud,  Minn.,  for 
example,  25  standard  1st  and  2d  grade  reading  books  are 
read  by  the  1st  grade  children 

12  classes  in  grades  4A-8B  were  heard.  In  5  of  these  it  was 
clearly  evident  that  the  pupils  appreciated  and  enjoyed 
what  they  were  reading 


Juvenile  Fiction        History 


Classics     Modern  fiction  Miscellaneous   Ibetry 


Outside-school  reading  as  reported  by  1,811  boys  in  grades  3A— 8B 
12 


HOW  ARITHMETIC  WAS  TAUGHT 

10  recitations  in  grades  1A  to  4B  were  visited 

In  a  1A  grade  a  teacher  was  attempting  to  teach  6+2=8.  Three 
pupils  gave  as  answers,  5,  9,  7.  The  teacher  asked  them  how  much 
6  oranges  and  2  oranges  made,  but  failed  to  get  the  desired  result. 
She  drew  6  circles  and  2  circles  on  the  board,  and  a  boy  said  8. 
She  asked  another  boy  how  much  6  boys  and  2  boys  made,  but 
he  looked  blank.  The  visitor  turned  to  him  and  said,  "Suppose 
you  had  6  cents  and  earned  2  cents,  how  much  would  you  then 
have?"  Quick  as  a  flash,  he  replied  "8  cents" 

In  a  3B  grade  the  pupils  were  solving  practical  problems  dealing 
with  every  day  matters  with  which  the  boys  were  perfectly  fa- 
miliar, and  there  was  no  hesitancy  in  correctly  solving  them. 
Some  of  the  problems  given  were: 

1.  A  boy  earned  10  cents  on  Monday  and   12  cents  on  Tuesday. 

On  Wednesday  he  paid  9  cents  for  apples.     How  much  had 
he  left? 

2.  Suppose  you  bought  5  tablets  for  7  cents  each  and  sold  them 

at  10  cents  each.     H£>w  much  would  you  make? 

Two    solutions    were    immediately    forthcoming,    the    second    boy 
proudly  proclaiming  he  had  a  much  easier  way  to  get  the  answer 

In  a  3A  grade  after  an  ordinary  drill  in  the  5  tables  had  been 
given,  this  problem  was  assigned :  If  2  apples  cost  5  cents, 
what  is  the  cost  of  4  apples?  Forty  pupils  wrote  replies  of 
which  12  answered  10  cents  and  28  answered  20  cents 

A  set  of  14  exercises  to  test  accuracy  in  computation  and  to 
illustrate  a  method  of  testing  efficiency  was  given  to  all 
pupils  from  grades  5A  to  8B.  A  time  limit  of  5  minutes  was 
set  for  each  example,  and  the  time  taken  by  each  pupil 
was  recorded 

Of  1480  pupils  in  grades  5A-8B 


Pupils  failed  to 


132  or     8.9% 


123  or 
417  or 
475  or 
239  or 
413  or 
594  or 
514  or 
503  or 


8.3% 
28.1% 
32.1% 
16.1% 
27.9% 
40.1% 
34.7% 
33.9% 


solve  correctly  these  problems 


Add  3457;  488;  7593;  5788;  306;  235;  9877; 

784 

Subtract  14536  from  40102 
Multiply  3896  by  478 
Divide  85967  by  47 
Add  234;  I*/.;   2% 
Subtract  2^/g  from  4^i 
Multiply  2?4  by  1% 
Divide  12  by 
Divide  514  by  3 


Of  1286  pupils  in  grades  5B-8B 


Pupils  failed  to 

solve  correctly  these  problems 

947  or  73.6% 
393   or  30.4% 
352  or  27.3% 
538  or  41.8% 
389  or  30.2% 

Divide  2453  'A  e  by  48 
Divide  2  Ye  by  134 
Divide  .12  by  .2 
Divide  .12  by  .002 
Multiply  .05  by  .5 

13 


ARITHMETIC  RESULTS 

A  second  test  was  given  to  758  pupils  in  the  7th  and  8th 
grades.  These  simple  type  problems  had  been  repeatedly 
taught  to  the  pupils  taking  the  test.  The  results  were : 

21%  did  not  solve  correctly:  "Suppose  you  bought  5  gallons 
of  milk  for  $1  and  sold  it  at  8  cents  a  quart,  what  percent 
would  you  make?" 

43%  did  not  solve  correctly :  "Four  men  built  a  barn.  A 
worked  1%  days,  B  2y2  days,  C  3^  days  and  D  4^  days. 
They  received  $48  for  their  work;  what  was  each  man's 
share?" 

60%  did  not  answer  correctly :  "If  1%  yards  of  ribbon  cost 
one-third  of  a  dollar,  what  will  2%  yards  cost?" 

40%  obtained  incorrect  results :  "Suppose  you  bought  a  bicy- 
cle for  $20  and  after  paying  20%  of  the  cost  price  for  re- 
pairs, you  sold  it  for  $30,  what  percent  would  you  gain?" 

17%  failed  id  "find  the  interest  on  $240  at  4^%  for  1  year, 
"1  month,  10  days" 

22%  failed  to  answer  correctly:  "If  the  cost  price  is  2  cents 
and  the  selling  price  is  3  cents,  what  is  the  gain  percent?" 

50%  answered  incorrectly:  "When  the  principal  is  $200  and 
the  time  5  years,  and  the  amount  is  $260,  what  is  the  in- 
terest and  what  is  the  rate?" 

ONE  GEOGRAPHY  LESSON 

8  classes  were  seen.  One  8th  grade  class  was  studying  the 
silk  industry.  The  teacher  had  made  careful  preparations 
for  teaching  the  lesson.  In  full  view  of  the  class  was  a 
cabinet  showing  the  various  steps  in  the  production  of  silk 
thread.  The  exhibits  were  passed  around,  and  an  easy 
"round  table"  discussion  was  carried  on  by  pupils  and 
teacher.  Pupils  seemed  entirely  free  to  volunteer  infor- 
mation, a  nod  from  the  teacher  giving  permission.  Ten 
pupils  out  of  40  asked  pertinent  questions  calling  for  in- 
formation as  to  who  discovered  the  silkworm,  when,  where. 
Seven  pupils  asked  questions  that  were  perplexing  and 
thought-provoking.  One  boy  raised  the  question  as  to  how 
a  worm  could  make  silk ;  another  as  to  why  he  should  do 
so  anyhow.  Just  before  closing  the  teacher  remarked, 
"Now,  boys,  there  are  several  questions  that  we  could  not 
answer  to-day.  What  are  some  of  them?"  At  this  point 
the  questions  were  listed  on  the  board.  This  done  the 
teacher  remarked,  "What  shall  we  do  about  it?"  One  boy 
answered,  and  it  was  sufficient  for  the  class,  "Know  it 
to-morrow" 

In  6  other  recitations  the  teacher  did  all  the  work,  asked 
"leading  questions"  to  get  the  desired  replies,  and  failed  to 
make  the  material  of  the  recitation  touch  the  lives  of  pupils 
or  stimulate  their  interest 

14 


PUPILS  NEEDING  ATTENTION  BECAUSE  OF  NON- 
PROMOTION  OR  LATE  ENTRANCE 

By  normal  progress  is  meant  finishing  a  half  grade  in  a 
semester;  slow  progress  is  failure  to  complete  a  half  grade 
in  a  semester;  rapid  progress  is  completion  of  more  than 
one  half  grade  per  semester 


A.gz   on 
entering 

5  yrs 

to 

6  , 


Relation  of  entrance   age  to  progress 

Mil 

•  w   w  41 

tt    a    ft   ft 

•      w     w      $ 

*  iL  rt'.-R 


6 

to 

8 
8 

to 

10 
10 

to 

14 

•  Percent  maKmg  slow  progress  EH    Percent  making 
normal   progress  O Percent  maXing    rapid    progress 


43%  of  the  whole  school  are  making  rapid,  31%  normal,  and 

26%  slow  progress 
68%  of  underage  pupils  are  making  rapid,  28%  normal,  and  4% 

slow  progress 
26%  of  normal  age  pupils  are  rapid;  60%  are  making  normal 

progress,  and  14%  are  slow 
36%   of  overage   pupils   are   rapid;  21%   are  making  normal 

progress,  and  43%  are  slow 


15 


Progress  by  Age 

Total 


Progress  Chart  of  2242  Pupils 

( TieaU  vp  and  down  for  age.  and,  across  for  progress) 
Under  A? e        JVbrmal  Age        OverApe 


425 

Pupils  mal< 

19% 

125 

ing    RAPID 

&  5% 

411 

progress 

19% 

175 

Pupils  ma-Ki 

&% 

290 

ng    NORMA1 

13% 

236 

-    progress 

1070 

27 

Pupils  matel 

170 

66 

ig     SLO"W 

3% 

4&5 

progress 

22% 

The  pupils  in  the  lower  right  hand  corner  are  most  in  need  of  help  since  they  are  both  old 
for  their  grade  and  slow  in  progress 

16 


Gams  made  by  pupils  of  different  aye  groups 


lOOO  underage  pupils 
gained  34  &  grades 


1OO  O     normal  pupils    gained     1  O  4r  <S    grades 


1OOO  overage    pupils    gained 
grades 


Failures  of  pupils  of  different  age  groups 


120 

failures 


made  l>y    1OOO    underage  pupils 


1OOO    normal  pupils    make  \  _ 

failures 


1OOO    overage    pupils   make    1OOO    failures 


Of  Every  JOO  Failures 


yfr 

pupils 

3O   made  by 
normal  pupils 

63  made  by   overage 
•pupils 

97  occrr  in  grades  1  to 


7-6 


Promotions  &  non-promotions , first 


Failures 

io/0 

Promoted 

Re.gula.-r  ly 

77% 

Promoted 
twice  or 
more 

13% 

Ctert  showing  percantcyi  tfjoreion-bom  pupils 
ahead  of,  upto,  and  behind  their  grade 


17 


CONFERENCES  WITH  TEACHERS 

The -principal  meets  with  all  teachers  at  least  twice  a  month 
for  one  hour;  when  necessary,  meetings  are  held  weekly. 
Further  meetings  are  held  for  the  discussion  of  special 
grade  problems.  The  principal  prepares  memoranda  out- 
lining the  subjects  to  be  discussed.  These  memoranda  are 
used  by  teachers  as  a  guide  to  the  discussions  and  are  kept 
for  future  reference.  They  also  serve  as  a  record  of  sub- 
jects discussed  at  the  conferences.  An  analysis  of  130  of 
these  memoranda  covering  the  past  6  years  shows  that : 

1— Composition  and  grammar  were  discussed  on  29  different  oc- 
casions under  these  subjects: 

How  to  correct  common  errors  in  letter-writing  (6  times) 

List  of  abbreviations  classified  by  different  grades 

The  use  of  capitals 

Dictation  in  the  teaching  of  language   (3  times) 

Symbols  to  be  used  in  marking  pupils 

Suggestions  as  to  how  to  teach  language  and  correct  faults 

in  oral  expression  and  written  composition   (3  times) 
List  of  foreign  phrases  to  be  learned  by  the  8th  grade 
List    of    social    titles    to    be    taught 
How  to   teach  punctuation    (2   times) 

Suggestions  as  to  the  use  of  indices  and  tables  of  contents 
Suggestions   for  programs  on  special  occasions 
Misuse  of  prepositions  by  pupils  and  how  to   correct 
Common  errors  of  speech  and  how  to  correct  (3  times) 
Outlines  in   grammar    (3   times) 
Questions    in    grammar 

2 — Arithmetic  was  discussed  on  15  different  occasions: 

Drills  to  fix  the  primary  facts  of  addition  and  multiplication 
The  teaching  of  denominate  numbers,  indicating  what  tables 

shall    be    taught    in    different    grades 
Roman   numerals,    showing   where    and   when   they   shall    be 

taught 

Methods    of    teaching    numbers    in    the    primary    grades 
Suggestions   as   to   the   teaching  of   arithmetic 
The  kind  of  problems  that  ought  to  be  given  to,  classes 
Arithmetic    for   special   classes 
Methods    of    teaching    arithmetic 

3 — Spelling  was  discussed  on   16  different  occasions: 
Suggestions    as    to    how    to    teach    spelling 
The    relative   values    of    dictation   and   a    spelling   list 
How  to  conduct  drills 

Suffixes  listed,  showing  what  shall  be  taught  in  each  grade 
Prefixes  listed,  showing  what  shall  be  taught  in  each  grade 
The  meaning  of  names 

Homonyms,   how  and   in  which   grades   they   shall  be   taught 
Suggested  list  of  words  to  be  used  as  tests  for  lower  grades 
How  to   teach    rules 
Presentation  of  simplified  spelling  list 

List  of  synonyms  to  be  taught  to  7th  and  8th  grade  pupils 
Test   words   by   grades 
Emphasis    placed    upon    the    selection    of    words    misspelled 

by  pupils  in  written  work 

Study  of  phonics   and   its   relation   to   spelling 
How  to   teach    the   meaning   and  use   of  words 

18 


TEACHERS'  CONFERENCES  (Continued) 

4 — Geography   was   discussed    on    7    different    occasions: 

How    to    read   maps 

Suggested    topics    for    home    discussion 
Essentials  and  non-essentials  and  questions  to  testv 
The  use  of  the  census  in  the  study  of  geography 
5 — Hygiene   was   discussed    on   4   different    occasions: 

How  to  observe  children   to   discover  physical   defects 
Need   of  physical   and   medical   examination   of  children 
Need    for   teaching  personal   cleanliness 

Need    for   cooperation  by  teachers  with  health  department 
Danger  in  improperly  dusting  room   (2  times) 
The  amount  of  time  to  be  devoted  by  various  grades 
6 — Writing  was  discussed   on  5  different  occasions: 
The  use  of  copy  and  blackboard 
What  may  be  done   to  prevent  cramped  writing 
Methods    of   teaching   writing 
The  use  of  proper  Materials 

7 — Drawing  was  discussed  on  2(  different  occasions: 
Purpose  and  methods  of  teaching  drawing 
Outline   of  drawing  and  instruction   work  by   grades 
8 — Method   of   teaching   music   was   discussed   once 
9 — Teaching  pupils  to  study  was  discussed  on  2  occasions 

10 — Educational  work  was   discussed: 

The  need  of  teaching  and  the  use  of  diacritical  marks 
How  pupils  may  be  taught  the  use  of  a  dictionary 

11 — Manners  were  discussed  when  definite  instructions  were  given 
to  teach  politeness,  manners,  and  general  behaviour,  with 
suggestions  as  to  how  this  may  be  done 

12 — Teaching  special  classes  was  discussed  on  2  different  occasions: 
General  instructions  given  on  how  to  teach  special  classes 
Bibliography  of  the  subject  presented  to  teachers 

13 — School  management: 

Keeping   of  progress   books   to    date 
The   teacher's  voice   in   teaching   (4   times) 
Request  that  written  work  be  submitted  monthly 
'-'Character  of  letters   written  by  teachers   to   parents 
Instruction  as   to   records   of  attendance 
Lists  of  text  books  submitted   (3  times) 
Special    class    programs 

Rules    governing    the    opening    of    schools,    promotions,    etc. 
Irregularity  of  attendance  by  teachers  and  pupils 
Special   forms   for   reporting   school   facts 
Reports  of  conferences  with  district  superintendent  (5  times) 
Turning  out  lights  when  leaving  late  in  the  afternoon 
Opening   of   windows 
Use  of  boys  as  monitors 

Tabulation   of   results    so   as   to   show   promotions   by   grades 
Purpose  of  model  lessons  by  teachers  especially  proficient 
The    basis    of   assigning   teachers    to    special    grades 
Instructions  to  govern  passing  out  of  the  building 
Reports   showing   the    classification   of  pupils   in    grades 
Methods    of    discipline 

The   waste    of   time    in    classroom   instruction 
Requests   for  teachers'  best   devices   in    teaching  any  subject 
Promotions,    failures    and    backward    children 
Home   work 
Rules   for  rating  teachers 

19 


PARENTS'  MEETINGS 

Twice  a  year,  in  December  and  June,  parents  are  invited  to 
the  school.  Sometimes  fathers  come,  and  smaller  brothers 
and  sisters,  but  the  gathering  is  made  up  chiefly  of  mothers. 
A  little  program  is  given  by  the  teachers  or  the  children. 
At  every  meeting  a  physician  is  at  hand  to  tell  mothers 
about  the  health  needs  of  the  children  and  refreshments  are 
provided.  Each  boy  brings  a  cup  and  saucer  for  "Mamma's 
party" 

Parents  are  frequently  invited  to  the  weekly  meetings  of  the 
classroom  clubs.  Mothers  of  children  in  the  ungraded 
classes  meet  regularly  in  the  school.  Mothers  of  children 
in  the  lower  classes  are  invited  to  come  to  the  opening 
exercises  in  the  junior  floor  auditorium,  and  many  of  them 
frequently  attend 

Because  of  frequent  home  visiting  by  class  teachers,  parents 
feel  free  to  come  to  the  school  whenever  they  have  ques- 
tions or  requests.  They  are  constantly  asking  teachers  to 
take  their  place  as  disciplinarians  of  their  children 


Visits 


Summer    Outings 


DECORATIONS 

All  the  pictures  and  casts  in  the  rooms  and  halls  are  gifts  of 
the  clubs,  paid  for  by  the  boys  from  their  weekly  dues. 
Though  the  teacher  may  suggest  a  desirable  subject  for 
the  picture,  the  boys  select  and  purchase  the  picture  them- 
selves. Some  classes,  like  8B1,  give  a  picture  each  term, 
and  the  occasion  of  the  presentation  is  made  into  a  school 
festival.  A  strawberry  festival  given  by  the  teachers  netted 
enough  money  to  purchase  15  German  prints.  One  class 
is  giving  a  series  of  pictures  representing  scenes  in  English 
history 

20 


UNGRADED  CLASSES 

Through  the  efforts  of  the  teachers  and  older  pupils  of  188B, 
morning  lunch  of  biscuits  and  milk  is  supplied  each  day  to 
the  ungraded  classes 

Each  term  the  teacher  visits  the  home  of  every  child  at  least 
once,  and  in  many  cases  more  frequently;  and  mothers' 
meetings  are  held  at  the  school  at  which  the  teacher  ex- 
plains the  extra  care  needed  by  the  children 
As  evidence  of  super-interest  on  the  part  of  teachers,  the 
stories  of  2  of  the  boys  whom  the  teacher  took  home  with 
her  during  three  summer  "vacations"  to  find  out  what 
country  air  and  good  food  would  do  for  them,  are  given 
here  in  her  own  words : 

Summer  of  1910,  Hyman  and  Sidney.  Hyman  was  under- 
sized, nervous,  dull  *»f  hearing,  eyesight  slightly  defective, 
one  foot  slightly  lame,  mentally  a  case  promising  to  be- 
come normal,  although  at  the  time  very  deficient.  Hyman 
spent  a  very  happy  summer,  doing  during  the  ten  weeks  a 
very  little  school  work,  and  taking  excellent  care  of  Sidney, 
daily  dressing  both  himself  and  Sidney,  who  was  not  skillful 
enough  to  dress  himself.  The  two  boys  slept,  ate,  and  played 
together,  and  were  fast  friends.  They  were  often  overheard 
at  bedtime  discussing  projects  for  the  next  day.  Hyman  was 
heard  to  say,  "We  can't  go  out  in  the  boat  tomorrow  until 
after  father  says,  'Oh,  Lord,  amen' "  (referring  to  family 
prayers) 

Sidney  returned  to  New  York  for  the  opening  of  school,  the 
picture  of  health,  but  seemingly  as  deficient  as  ever  mentally. 
The  mothers  were  both  delighted,  and  expressed  their  apprecia- 
tion. Hyman  was  promoted  to  do  grade  work,  and  he  has 
been  doing  it  ever  since.  He  is  now  in  a  2B  grade,  working 
towards  3A.  Through  the  principal  I  procured  eyeglasses  for 
Hyman,  which  helped  to  correct  the  eye  defect  and  improved 
his  reading  power.  His  hearing  still  seeming  slightly  dull,  I 
serut  him  to  the  doctor,  who  examined  the  ears  and  removed 
from  one  of  them  a  huge  roach  imbedded  in  wax 
Sidney  remained  in  the  ungraded  class.  His  mother,  feeling 
very  sad  at  the  abuse  Sidney  received  on  the  streets  on  ac- 
count of  his  simple  manner,  begged  me  to  place  him  in  a 
good  institution,  but  seemingly  there  is  no  such  place  for 
the  feebleminded,  so  Sidney  remained  in  the  ungraded  class 

How  poor  pupils  arc  helped 


Shoes  and 
clothing 


Dental  DJU  JTm  Fr<Z(Z  hospital 

Treatment       tLS2ffllHL---i       care 
for  104 


21 


EXTRA  CURRICULUM  ACTIVITIES 

Without  remuneration  and  without  credit  toward  promotion, 
teachers  were  found  in  charge  of  extra  curriculum  activities 
requiring  several  hours  of  time  each  week 

Of  36  private  and  semi-public  agencies  which  might  logically 
be  expected  to  interest  themselves  in  these  extra  curri- 
culum activities,  the  teachers  interviewed  remember  contact 
with  only  10.  Teachers  were  found  who  did  not  know  of 
all  the  agencies  working  along  the  extra  curriculum  lines 
in  which  they  were  interested 

Extra  curriculum  work  is  said  to  be  hampered  by  the  neces- 
sity for  promotion  preparation.  Several  clubs  were  given 
up  because  the  teacher  in  charge  could  not  spare  the  time. 
The  general  feeling  among  teachers  most  interested  was 
that  credit  should  be  given  for  this  after-school  work  in 
place  of  some  of  the  courses  now  required  for  promotion 


IMPORTANCE  OF  AFTER  SCHOOL 
ACTIVITIES- 


of  using   hours   after 
o'clock 


ATHLETICS 

17  teachers  helped  648  out  of  2,500  boys  to  win  the  P.  S. 
Athletic  League  medal  in  1911,  supervised  field  meets  and 
walking  clubs  in  wrhich  715  boys  walked  50  miles  in  two 
months 

22 


SCHOOL  ATHLETICS 


PS    <v «  » 
*SHET    BALL 


DCD 

CDC 

acnt — im 


11 II  II       M 


The  call  to  the  truant 

CLUBS 

Each  classroom  in  the  school  is  organized  into  a  club  in 
charge  of  the  teacher 

Of  particular  interest  is  the  Waring  Club,  whose  motto, 
"Serve  your  City,"  stands  on  a  banner  under  the  seal  of 
New  York.  The  club  delegates  four  inspectors  to  keep  the 
school  clean  for  a  term.  At  10  :30  and  1 :30  inspections  are 
made  of  classrooms,  halls  and  areaways.  A  bulletin  board 
of  current  events  is  kept  up  to  date  by  a  committee  which 
decides  what  shall  be  posted  for  the  club's  information 

WARING  CLUB 


Membership  in  the  Lawrence  Club  is  considered  the  'highest 
honor  in  the  school.  Only  25  or  30  boys  belong,  and  they 
are  admitted  after  investigation  by  a  committee  and  trial 
membership.  The  activities  of  the  club  are  social,  literary 
and  athletic.  The  Flag  Day  celebration  of  the  school  is 
left  entirely  in  its  hands 

Two  years  ago  at  the  boys'  request,  a  dramatic  club  of  25 
was  formed  from  pupils  in  the  7th  and  8th  grades 

23 


AFTER-SCHOOL  JOBS  FOR  BOYS 

195  pupils  reported  that  they  were  earning  money  at  salaries 
ranging  from,  10  cents  to  $6  per  week 

Total  earnings  amount  to  $435.65,  an  average  of  $2.20  per 
working  pupil 

30  different  occupations  were  followed  by  these  boys ;  the 
largest  number,  88,  were  errand  boys ;  24  were  peddlers ; 
19,  newsboys;  7,  office  boys;  6,  workers  on  wagons;  3, 
bookkeepers,  salesmen,  singers;  2  button  makers;  factory 
workers,  express  helpers,  label  pasters,  pretzel  makers, 
tailors'  assistants,  tutors,  tobacco  strippers,  etc. 


WHAT  PUPILS  WANT  TO  BE 
1,521  pupils  reported,  naming  131  different  occupations 


Chart  showing  the  extent  to  which  pupils 
chose  different  classes  of  occupations. 


.500 


Profession   Business     Trades      M:  stated   Operators   CirilSefticc  Others 

1,232  pupils  out  of  1,827  planned  to  go  to  high  school,  507 
decided  not  to  go  and  88  were  undecided 

Pe.rcenta.yc  of 

those  decided         Chart  showing  percentage  of  pupils  "decided" 
who  intend  to  go  to  High  School 


Grade 


5\>         63         6b 


24 


HOME  STUDY 

The  school  program  shows  that  less  than  1%  of  the  total 
school  time  is  left  for  study  and  unassigned  time.  This 
gives  less  than  15  minutes  per  week 

As  the  students  leave  for  home  at  the  end  of  the  school  day, 
each  pupil  is  loaded  down  with  books.  Even  the  children 
of  the  1st,  2d  and  3d  grades  carry  books  home  for  study. 
The  principal  states  that  he  has  tried  study  periods  in 
school  but  found  the  plan  unprofitable;  it  should  succeed 


8b  5b 

8  a  Q(3  5  a    0 

7b  0(3  *        4b    GO© 

7  a  00  4a 

6b  QC  3b 

6a  0(3  3a    ©A 


=  one  hour  ol  home  study 

The  clocks  show  how  much  pupils  said  they  study  at  home 

DISCIPLINE 

The  discipline  of  the  building  is  remarkable  for  its  freedom. 

In  all  the  upper  grades,  at  least,  teachers  leave  their  class- 
rooms at  any  time,  certain  that  the  pupils  will  go  on  with 
their  work  in  perfect  order 

One  morning  about  9 :30  o'clock,  the  principal  called  20 
of  the  upper  grade  teachers  to  his  office  to  give  directions 
about  a  piece  of  work  he  wished  accomplished  that  fore- 
noon. The  conference  lasted  20  minutes.  During  that 
time  773  boys  were  left  without  the  supervision  of  a 
teacher.  The  investigator  was  anxious  to  see  what  was 
happening  and  visited  every  room.  In  each  case  a  pupil 
was  in  charge;  the  class  was  going  on  with  the  lesson  as 
if  the  teacher  were  there.  It  is  a  part  of  the  principal's 
plan  to  leave  pupils  by  themselves  and  thus  give  them  a 
chance  to  take  care  of  themselves 

Whenever  a  visitor  and  the  principal  came  into  a  classroom 
where  a  recitation  was  going  on,  if  the  teacher's  attention 
was  taken  from  the  recitation,  pupils  immediately  and  with- 
out direction  took  their  books  and  went  to  work.  In  not 
a  single  case  out  of  over  100  did  pupils  fail  to  do  this 

25 


DISCIPLINE   (Continued) 


In  the  building  and  on  the  street  the  boys  are  unusually 
courteous  and  considerate.  On  one  occasion  a  visitor  was 
seen  coming  up  the  stairway.  At  the  same  time  a  group  of 
40  boys  in  charge  of  a  monitor  was  passing  downstairs 
on  the  same  stairway,  too  narrow  to  permit  the  visitor  and 
the  boys  to  pass  each  other.  As  soon  as  the  monitor  in 
charge  saw  the  visitor,  he  ordered  the  boys  to  about-face 
and  pass  back  to  the  hall 

Passing  through  the  halls  in  looking  for  special  rooms,  the 
visitor  found  it  necessary  to  ask  for  information  as  to  the 
location  of  the  room.  In  every  instance  the  boy  addressed 
gave  the  information,  or  politely  said  he  did  not  know. 
On  the  first  day's  visit  to  the  school,  the  investigator  in- 
quired of  a  little  fellow  about  seven  years  old  where  the 
principal  could  be  found.  Without  an  instant's  hesitation, 
he  replied :  "I  will  show  you  the  office  where  it  is,"  and  his 
reply  was  accompanied  by  a  smile  clearly  showing  his 
delight  in  rendering  a  service  to  a  visitor 

Discipline  and  Cleanliness 


Moral  effect  of  neatness 

The  experience  of  the  school  has  demonstrated  the  effective- 
ness and  helpfulness  of  permitting  pupils  to  shoulder  re- 
sponsibility in  matters  of  discipline 

Whenever  a  boy  gets  into  trouble,  his  classmates  are  per- 
mitted to  assume  the  responsibility  for  his  future  conduct. 
The  procedure  is  as  follows : 

1 — The  classmates  of  the  boy  in  trouble  have  a  meeting 
in  which  a  thorough  understanding  with  the  boy 
is  established 

2 — A  formal  statement  is  drawn  up  by  the  class,  request- 
ing that  the  members  of  the  class  be  allowed  to 
assume  the  responsibility  for  the  boy's  misdemeanor 
and  future  conduct 

3 — This  statement  is  presented  to  the  teacher  and  prin- 
cipal, who  invariably  grant  the  request 

26 


MEDICAL  EXAMINATION  AND  TREATMENT 

The  homes  of  71  children  having  physical  defects  were  vis- 
ited, 37  having  defective  teeth  alone.  Of  these  37  cases, 
only  one  had  received  a  printed  notice  of  physician's  find- 
ings ;  only  3  received  a  visit  from  the  physician  and  2  from 
the  nurse 

Of  the  34  cases  with  defects  other  than  teeth,  16  received 
notices,  18  did  not;  only  4  received  visits  from  the  physician 
and  14  from  the  nurse 


WHAT  THE  SCHOOL  RECORDS  SHOW 


not  examined  D  examined;  found  perfect 

il  found  defective  and  treated 
found  defective  but  not  treated 


27 


MEDICAL   EXAMINATION  (Continued) 

4  nearsighted  pupils  were  found  unable  to  see  what  was 
written  on  the  blackboard  because  they  were  seated  at  the 
rear  of  the  room.  No  attempt  was  made  to  discover  the 
extent  of  the  negligence  by  teachers  of  pupils'  defects 

BLACKBOARD  LIGHTING  TESTS 


A^  attitude  and  expression  of  boy  taking  7seconds  to  read  6.7 words 
B  "same  boy  using  same  chart  at  same  distance  on  dark  side  of  room 
takes  9  seconds  to  read    6,2  words 

1,870  pupils  from  3A-8B  answered  questions  for  a  health 
survey,  using  part  of  the  *Hoag  blank  for  pupils  and 
teachers 

Yes  No. 

1.  Have  you  ever  had  much  sickness? 461  1409 

2.  Are    you    well    now? 1785  85 

3.  Do  you  eat  breakfast  every   day? 1801  69 

4.  Do  you  eat  dinner  every   day? 1842  28 

5.  Do  you  drink    coffee? 1551  319 

6.  Do  you  drink    tea?     1494  376 

7.  Do  you  have    your    bedroom    window    open    at 

night?    1465        405 

8.  Have   you   ever   been    to    the    dentist? 1216        654 

9.  Do  you  own  a   tooth   brush  ? 1634        236 

10.  Do  you  use  a   tooth  brush   every  day? 1354        515 

11.  Do  you  have    headache    often? 410       1460 

12.  Can    you    read    easily    what    is    written    on    the 

blackboard? 1733  128 

13.  Does   the  print  blur   in  your  book? 321  1548 

14.  Do  your  eyes  trouble  you  in  any  way? 278  1592 

15.  Do  you  often    have    ear    ache? 104  1766 

16.  Do  your    ears    ever    run? 103  1767 

17.  Can  you  hear  easily  what  the  teacher  says?....  1802  67 

18.  Is  it  hard  for  you  to  breathe  through  your  nose?  288  1582 

19.  Do  you  have  sore  throat  often? 266  1644 

20.  Do  you  tire  easily  in  school? 201  1667 

No  place  is  provided  where  records  of  medical  inspection 
may  be  safely  kept.  They  were  found  on  window  sills, 
shelves  and  teachers'  desks 


*Dr.  E.  C.  Hoag,  for  Minn.  State  Board  of  Health,  St.  Paul 

28 


SUGGESTIONS   FOR  IMPROVING  PHYSICAL 
CONDITIONS 

Building 

1 — That  a  wire  glass  partition  be  put  in  the  stair  shaft  to 
replace  present  wire  screen 

2 — That  the  newel  posts  be  made  less  obstructive  in  de- 
sign, and  a  more  gradual,  continuous  curve  be  given 
to  hand  rail 

3 — That  the  landings  on  all  the  stairs  be  widened  if  pos- 
sible 

4 — That  doors  of  fireproof  material  be  placed  at  the  top 
and  bottom  of  thtTvisitors'  stairs;  at  the  top  and  bot- 
tom of  the  stairs  running  from  ground  floor  to  roof;  in 
the  connecting  corridors  between  girls'  and  boys' 
sections  of  the  building 

5 — That  fireproof  window  frames  be  put  in  the  windows  of 
the  boiler  room 

6 — That  all  room  doors  be  made  of  fireproof  material 

7 — That  steel  doors  between  the  boys'  and  girls'  playground 
be  installed  in  place  of  the  present  wooden  doors 

8 — That  present  steel  trusses  over  the  roof  playground  be 
supplemented  with  small  rafters  designed  to  contain 
sections  of  wire  glass  or  other  material 

9 — That  removable  sections  of  glass  or  other  material  be 
placed  around  the  sides  of  the  playground.  These 
.sections  to  connect  the  covering  formed,  as  recom- 
mended. This  would  allow  the  use  of  the  playground 
in  all  kinds  of  weather.  The  sides  could  and  should 
be  used  as  wind  shields 

10 — That  removable  or  permanent  fire  escapes  and  a  sprink- 
ler system  be  installed 

11 — That  an  investigation  be  made  into  thermostatic  con- 
trol. Twenty-two  rooms  were  visited  in  one  after- 
noon. The  thermometers  registered  from  62  to  74. 
There  should  be  a  standard  degree  of  temperature 

12 — That  inquiries  be  made  as  to  the  possibility  of  installing 
a  humidifying  apparatus 

13 — That  an  investigation  be  made  through  the  proper  au- 
thorities relative  to  the  extreme  low  pressure  of  the 
water 

29 


TO   IMPROVE    PHYSICAL    CONDITIONS    (Continued) 

14 — That  bubbling  spray  fixtures  be  installed  for  drinking 
water.  The  vast  majority  of  boys  do  not  have  indi- 
vidual drinking  cups 

INDIVIDUAL  DRINKING  CUPS 

(6)2  Reports) 


]  Boys  having  individual  drinking  cups    (3.7%) 
•  Boys  without  CUDS  as  there  is  no  sanitary  dnnKing 
fountain  these  boys  must  use  a  common   cup  * 


15 — That  traps  be  removed  from  part  of  the  soil  pipes  to  a 
point  nearer  the  discharge  and  attached  to  a  horizontal 
or  inclined  stretch  of  pipe 

16 — That  some  sort  of  check  be  put  on  the  work  of  the 
cleaners 

17 — That  a  non-drying  oil  be  used  on  the  classroom  floors 
twice  each  year,  and  an  oiled  preparation  used  at 
every  sweeping 

18 — That  the  use  of  feather  dusters  be  discontinued  and  the 
use  of  dry  dusting  cloths  be  stopped 

19 — That  the  blackboards  be  thoroughly  cleaned  every  week 
by  janitors  and  not  by  pupils  and  teachers 

20 — That  the  playground  on  the  street  floor  be  cleaned  by 
the  use  of  a  hose  every  week  on  account  of  the  exces- 
sive use  of  this  playground 

21 — That  the  windows  be  washed  more  often 

30 


PHYSICAL   CONDIT IQJ9%   (Continued) 
««•     «  *     •••*••*••• 

•-.•/••.:„.::   •••:••. :"•::.•••. 


TO     IMPROVE 

Class  Rooms 

1 — That  the  seats  be  adjusted  to  the  individual  pupil,  at 
least  once  each  year  for  all  pupils  below  the  7th  year 

Adjustment  of  desks  and  seats  (494  examined) 


Wl^  proportion  badly  placed,  36.1 % 

2 — That  owing  to  plan  of  departmental  teaching  more  care 
be  exercised  by  the  teachers  of  the  7th  and  8th  year 
pupils  in  assigning  boys  to  seats 

3 — That  all  teachers  be  taught  the  essentials  of  adjusting 
seats  to  children 

4 — That  the  ventilation  of  every  room  be  regulated  to  in- 
sure 30  cubic  feet  per  minute 

5 — That  window  boards  be  furnished  to  prevent  direct 
draft  on  children 

6 — That  the  windows  and  transoms  into  the  corridors  be 
always  open 

7 — That  translucent  curtains  be  furnished  in  every  class 
room 

8 — That  the  seatings  be  changed  in  the  6  rooms  where  the 
light  comes  from  the  right 

Lighting  of  Class  Rooms 


•  Windows  on  two  sides 

(SSI  Windows  on  right  side  of 

EH  Windows  on  Jeft  side  of  pupils 


31 


TO   IMPROVE    PHYSICAL    CONDITIONS    (Continued) 

9 — That  the  cloak  rooms  throughout  the  building  be  used, 
even   though   they  are   inadequate   as   to   size,   acces- 
sibility, ventilation  and  light 
Sanitaries 

1 — That  a  modern  system  of  sanitation  be  installed 

2 — That  arrangements  be  made  for  better  window  lighting 
and  more  electric  lights  installed 

3 — That  toilet  paper  be  supplied  in  the  closets 

4 — That  if  it  is  not  possible  to  have  the  present  fixtures 
torn  out,  all  woodwork  be  painted  white  enamel 

5 — That  the  flushing  apparatus  be  immediately  repaired 

6 — That  these  rooms  be  inspected  several  times  daily  by 
a  responsible  person  and  cleaned  frequently  enough 
to  do  away  with  all  odors 

7 — That  individual  towels  and  sanitary  soap  containers  be 

supplied 
Bath  Room 

1 — That  the  partitions  between  the  shower  baths  be  re- 
moved, thus  making  the  room  lighter,  increasing 
possible  number  of  bathers  at  one  time,  and  making  it 
easier  for  the  directors  to  control  the  boys 

2 — That  lockers  be  set  up  around  the  walls  of  the  bathroom 

3 — That  proper  ventilation  of  this  room  be  provided 
Playgrounds 

1 — That  proper  "vents"  be  opened  up  in  the  glass  roof  of 
the  playground 

2 — That  arrangements  be  made  for  the  care  of  the  boys' 

coats  during  exercise 
Teachers'  Rooms 

1 — That  teachers'  rooms  be  made  more  inviting  by  proper 
furnishing 

2 — That  more  care  be  given  to  these  rooms  by  the  cleaners 
Physical  Education 

1 — That  more  definite  help  and  instruction  be  provided  for 
the  teachers 

2 — That  classroom  windows  be  always  wide  open  during 
the  two-minute  drills  and  that  the  boys  remove  their 
coats 

3 — That  physical  examination  and  diagnosis  for  pupils  be 
provided,  and  that  this  be  made  the  basis  for  correc- 
tive work 

4 — That  as  far  as  possible  the  20  and  40  minute  drills  be 

devoted  to  corrective  work 
Hygiene 

1 — That  the  "laboratory"  method  be  employed  and  regular 
time  assigned  to  hygiene 

2 — That  teachers  be  persuaded  to  do  outside  reading  on 
this  subject 

\J .— 


CONTENTS— INDEX 

Foreword _ 1 

Principal   Handel's   comment 2 

How  the  school  is  governed 4 

Flexible  grading  and  grouping 5 

Stretching   an   "inelastic"   curriculum 6 

Testing  classroom  instruction 8 

Notes  on  typical  recitations 9 

Spelling  misfits 10 

Peculiar  idiom  in  language  papers.... 11 

How  reading  was  taught 12 

How  arithmetic  was  taught 13 

One   geography  lesson 14 

Pupils  needing  attention  because  of  non- promotion  or  late 

entrance 15 

Conferences  with  teachers 18 

Parents'    meetings 20 

Decorations 20 

Ungraded  classes 21 

Extra  curriculum  activities 22 

Athletics ; 22 

Clubs 23 

After -school  jobs  for  boys 24 

What  pupils  want  to  be 24 

Home    study 25 

Discipline 25 

Medical  examination  and  treatment 27 

Suggestions  for  improving  physical  conditions ..  29 


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